Journal of Biology and Nature

Experimental plantations were conducted in the strong saline zone (Compartment Nos. 46) of Sundarbans with major mangrove species such as sundri (Heritiera fomes Buch.-Ham), gewa (Excoecaria agallocha L.), goran (Ceriops decandra Griff. Ding Hou), kirpa (Lumnitzera racemosa Willd), khalshi (Aegiceras corniculatum L. Blanco), passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis Pierre) and jhana (Rhizophora apeculata Lam). The objectives of this experimental research were to enrich unoccupied and poorly regenerated areas and to increase vegetation coverage and to improve biodiversity. Besides, conducted study helps to mitigate climate change through sustainable management of the ecosystem in strong saline zone in the Sundarbans. In the experimental plantation of strong saline water zone the average survival percentage of sundri, gewa, goran, kirpa, khalshi, jhana and passur are 27%, 59%, 50%, 34%, 72%, 62% and 52% respectively. Besides, age (in year) of sundri, gewa, goran, kirpa, khalshi, jhana and passur are 23, 19, 21, 23, 19, 5 and 8 respectively in Sundarbans. The Mean Annual Increment (MAI) were found of the species khalshi, gewa, kirpa, jhana, passur, goran, sundri for height (m) 0.23, 0.18, 0.22, 0.50, 0.38, 0.11. 0.10 and for DBH (cm) 0.29, 0.28, 0.25 respectively. Khalshi, jhana and gewa in strong saline water zone showed better survival percentage where khalshi, jhana and gewa possess same age in same ecological zone. Highest Mean Annual Increment (MAI) was observed for jhana and passur. Thus, vegetation coverage in the Sundarbans can be improved by raising massive experimental plantation of gewa, passur, khalshi, jhana through combination of other mangrove species in the strong saline water zone to mitigate climate change in this delta as well as to maintain plantation of the Sundarbans ecosystems and biodiversity on a sustainable basis.